"We knew that America needed a shot in the national arm. Since December 7, 1941, our national heritage had yielded to a prideless humiliation. Half of our fleet still sat on the bottom of Pearl Harbor. The Philippines were gone, Guam and Wake had fallen, the Japanese were approaching Australia. What Admiral King saw, and what he jammed down the throats of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was that just possibly the mighty Japanese had overextended. He saw that just possibly a strike by us could halt their eastward parade. The only weapon he held, the only weapon America held, was a woefully understrength fleet and one woefully ill-equipped and partially trained Marine division."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Military leaders from the United StatesLegion of Honour recipientsPeople from ClevelandAviators from the United StatesNavy Cross recipients
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Alexander Vandegrift, reflecting on the commencement of the Battle of Guadalcanal, Once a Marine: The Memoirs of General A.A. Vandegrift (1964), hardcover, p. 18
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ernest_King
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Ernest King
157 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Ernest King →
Related Quotes
"Every naval officer has a job to do. He should do that job out of a sense of duty and should not get recognition for …"
"Initiative means freedom to act, but it does not mean freedom to act in an offhand or casual manner."
"I don't know much about this thing called logistics. All I know is that I want some."
"Discipline is willing obedience to attain the greatest good by the greatest number. It means [the] laying aside, for …"
"Anyone who won't take a chance now and then isn't worth a damn."
"I don't care how good they are. Unless they get a kick in the ass every six weeks, they'll slack off."
"It must be the key idea of all hands that we will make the best of what we have."
"I expect the officers of the Atlantic Fleet to be the leaders of what may be called the pioneering spirit- to lead in…"
"There is work in plenty for all hands- officers and men."
"Don't tell them anything. When it's over, tell them who won."